


Blue Acid and Green Cross

by MohnblumenKind



Series: Berliner Blau [3]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Chemical Weapons, Gen, Historical Hetalia, Holocaust, Minor Character Death, POV First Person, Trench Warfare, Weapons of Mass Destruction, World War I, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 13:25:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19464919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MohnblumenKind/pseuds/MohnblumenKind
Summary: “During peacetime a scientist belongs to the world; during war time he belongs to his country,” Haber said to me in 1915 and in 1941 I held a small metal container with the highly toxic prussic acid in my hands. All that led to me standing in a conference room in Paris in 1993, signing the Chemical Weapons Convention that declared achievements in the field of chemistry should be used exclusively for the benefit of mankind.





	Blue Acid and Green Cross

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t get too confused, there are three separate timelines here and the story (rather stories) progresses in each of them. You’ll be able to tell them apart by the font. One plays during WWI, one during WWII and the last one in the nineties.
> 
> And most important: thanks to my beta [Slovenskych](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4204901/)!

It was 1993. I stood in a conference room in Paris, Lithuania beside me. He had just handed me the papers he’d signed. My hands traced over the dark material of the heavy folder. France had ensured for proper, expensive material, thick paper and colorful ink. Capital letters read in six languages and four alphabets: Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.  
I remembered the Hague Conventions and Geneva Conventions, which had also attempted to establish standards for humanitarian treatment in war. Neither convention had been able to properly deal with chemical weapons as a means of mass murder, so the papers in my hands were important documents, meant to write history. At least for me they were essential. I tried, but could do nothing to prevent seeing the pictures that flooded my mind. 

  


_“During peacetime a scientist belongs to the world; during war time he belongs to his country,” Haber said to me and in this moment I knew that he would do anything to help me. And I was so proud of him and my children that voluntarily agreed to fight for me, to lend me their strength. Considering, it was one year after the Great War had started and I needed them now more than ever._

  


`It is September of 1941. I turn the small metal container in my hand. It has no label on it, just one word: Giftgas. An exclamation mark follows, then: a skull and crossbones. And in big letters beneath it: Zyklon.  
The small pot contains a gas with a very low boiling point just slightly above room temperature, which means it easily evaporates and therefore is difficult and dangerous to handle. It is highly toxic, humans tolerate only 1/22 of the dose for invertebrates like lice.`

  


_“It saves lives,” Haber said, talking about his idea to use chlorine gas in the war. I raised an eyebrow – something Austria used to do all the time. It was an efficient way to communicate without words, which pleased me. Unfortunately, it had the tendency to drive Prussia crazy._  
_I was not completely convinced by Haber’s proposition. This was the bloodiest war the world had ever seen so far, we called it the Great War, and I was desperately in need of new battle tactics that would give me an advantage to end this war. But gas was never used before as a weapon and it was difficult to handle; success was not foreseeable in my opinion._  
_“It could bring movement to the static warfare, to the trenches, it could win the war and save thousands of lives,” Haber explained to me. I nodded slowly; it made sense._  
_“Isn’t using poison forbidden by the Hague Conventions?” Prussia asked, flipping through the pages of Haber’s instruction manual on how to properly use chlorine on the battlefield._  
_“Yes, but it doesn’t forbid chemical weapons. This is gas, not a poison that is used on a weapon or water. In fact, it doesn’t harm water at all; it can be used as a disinfectant.”_  
_I frowned slightly, then moved over to my brother, bending over his shoulder to look at the documents myself. I hurried to scan the pages while my brother carelessly flipped through them._  
_“It will give us an advantage,” I finally said. I was not sure whether to pose it as a question or as a statement. But Haber immediately caught my tone._  
_“It will. The conventions allow unnecessary suffering if it leads to a military advantage. And anyway, that’s not the case here. It’s the most humane way to kill people,” he explained. “Being shot leaves them dead, too. There is no difference, anyway.”_  
_Prussia shrugged his shoulders. I moved away from him while he zestfully closed the document, thereby slightly crumbling the papers._  
_“Then try it, maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. One cannot know without trying.” His voice was light, as it always was while discussing new strategies he didn’t exactly believe in, but did not oppose either._  
_Haber turned towards me and I nodded._

  


It had seemed like a good idea, back then.  
Later, it turned out this was the beginning of a new means of mass destruction. A new idea, a new technique, was born into this world. And like every new idea it would grow and never be completely eliminated again. Like a pest plant, digging its roots deep into the minds of humans and nations, and neither ripping it out nor any herbicide would be able to eradicate it again. 

  


`I remember Haber starting to experiment with prussic acid, after successfully using chlorine, and this led to the invention of Zyklon. Later, it was developed into Zyklon B. B for Blausäure – Blue acid, the German name for prussic acid. Blue, because it is made from the color Prussian Blue, the first modern synthetic pigment, an innovation beyond comparison. Its chemical formula is Iron hexacyanoferrate, a pigment with a very fine colloidal dispersion. 1922 prussic acid was meant to be used to kill rats and lice – but now, in 1941, the term vermin is used broadly differently and therefore, it is used differently. But times change, and so does the use of chemicals.`

  


_“It gives us a huge advantage,” Haber explained, fully in lecture mode while walking along the trenches next to Ypern. I followed him, prepared to listen closely. He was a small, bald man, pot-bellied and equipped with pince-nez glasses. Through them he watched the world with a curious gaze, his scientific mind cataloging every possible way to win the war on my behalf._  
_“Gas is able to get through every earth wall and into every cave; splinters of steel can’t.”_  
_The trenches made warfare difficult, slow. The troops were exhausted, they needed movement and sleep, they needed a change, they needed someone to end the war for them. And Haber was able to do so._

  


`Prussic acid is highly toxic because one milligram per kilogram of body weight is enough to kill an adult human. It binds to the iron of a mitochondrial enzyme in the cells and blocks it. But the iron normally is responsible for the oxygen binding, therefore, the enzyme can no longer activate the oxygen for energy. Every living thing needs energy, which is produced by the mitochondria in the cells. So without oxygen, the cells die of energy deficiency. Exitus follows.`

  


_Haber was obviously proud to serve me, a fiery patriot._  
_“I am honored to be one of your most trusted men,” he told me one evening, when I privately visited him in his house. “I am one of the most powerful men in Germany.” He straightened his shoulders, his head held high, his – my – uniform ironed and spotless, the buttons polished. Tiredness was shown through the wrinkles around his eyes and the color that shaded them, but the pride shone stronger than anything else. His success was only limited by his mind, and his mind proved itself to be incredibly valuable._  
_“I have more weight than a powerful military leader,” he explained and I imagined Prussia snorting with contempt – he always loved his military and never liked anyone having the arrogance to set themselves higher. But my brother was not here and I, myself, had always liked my scientists. They held the world in their hands, and thus it became fragile like a snow globe. The power one patriotic scientist could achieve surpassed those of hundreds of loyal soldiers by far._

  


`70 milligram per human. One does not need more prussic acid to kill a human. The small containers are filled with 200 g, 500 g, 1000 g, 1200 g and 1500 g. Enough to wipe out thousands.`

  


_“It is a perversion of science,” Clara Haber said. She shook her head softly, clearly conveying what she thought about her husband’s work._  
_“Don’t you agree that scientists should help their nations?” I asked her. After all, she was a proud chemist herself. And she was one of my people, too, so she had to understand the need to help me._  
_“Yes, but scientists should make the world a better place, not try to find a way to murder people.”_  
_“War always kills people. I am glad that your husband is trying to end it,” I explained, stunned by her strong opinion._  
_“My husband” – she spat the word as if it were poison – “is a mass murderer.” And with that, she politely nodded at me and then raised the teacup to her lips, while the afternoon sun fell through the windows into her living room. She didn’t utter another word, not even when her husband escorted me outside later that evening, bidding me a warm farewell._

  


`Prussic acid leads to the inhibition of the oxygen supply of the cells. This stops the breathing. But not the breathing of the lungs – the blood is actually still capable of binding oxygen. It just stops every cell of the human body from breathing. The body notices the lack of oxygen and increases the respiratory rate. The lungs start to pump more and more air into the body, in desperate search for oxygen, but it will only increase the intake of the poison. The blood itself is enriched with oxygen, but since prussic acid is already bound to the iron in the cells, this iron can’t connect with the freshly supplied oxygen, and therefore, the cells can’t breathe. In short: It is an “internal suffocation.”`

  


_“It’s a superior way of killing,” Haber once said about using chlorine in the war. “It is humane,” was his explanation. Nonetheless, after the war, the allied forces accused him of war crimes._  
_“It doesn’t kill at all,” my people would say about Haber’s invention. “It’s just acid, you cough. It doesn’t breach the Hague Conventions.”_

  


`Prussic acid – blue acid – doesn’t color the dead blue like suffocation usually would. Since the prussic acid binds to the iron in the cells and not mainly to the iron in the blood, the blood will be enriched with oxygen and therefore, red colored. Thus, the dead bodies will have red skin, as if still alive.`

  


The Chemical Weapons Convention weighed heavily in my hands. It had twenty-four articles in all, starting with a preamble to explain the motive for introducing a worldwide convention that banned every nation from using any chemical weapon against humans. Involuntarily, I started to reread the words, over and over, even though I had done so already at least a hundred times. If I were to close my eyes, I could still recall every word of the convention.  


    The States Parties to this Convention,  
[…]  
Determined for the sake of all mankind, to exclude completely the possibility of the use of chemical weapons, through the implementation of the provisions of this Convention, thereby complementing the obligations assumed under the Geneva Protocol of 1925,  
Recognizing the prohibition, embodied in the pertinent agreements and relevant principles of international law, of the use of herbicides as a method of warfare,  
Considering that achievements in the field of chemistry should be used exclusively for the benefit of mankind,  
[…]

  


_In February of 1915, the first gas attack was prepared at the western front. Haber himself decided where the gas containers would be placed. He closely instructed the soldiers on how to use them, what to watch out for. The wind was a tricky enemy, it could easily turn and thus blow the gas into our own trenches, endangering my own people. But Haber was a clever scientist, his instructions were precise. In April, 150 tons of chlorine were set free, drifting towards the French front. Thousands of soldiers were killed, another thousands seriously harmed. Due to this success, Haber was named Captain and these gas attacks that affected the lungs were named Green Cross. To celebrate, he organized a party in his home in Berlin. Of course, I attended._  
_Somehow, his wife was less enthusiastic about the victory than I was._  
_We stood aloof from the others in the garden – I never liked big groups with joyfully loud people and Clara was clearly not in the mood. She looked at me with eyes darkened by tiredness. I tried to convince her to enjoy the party and to judge her husband less harshly._  
_“He saved me from starvation and will save me in this war. He deserves a Nobel prize,” I explained to her. She had to understand what her husband and his work meant to me._  
_But she shook her head. “He’s an awful man. A cruel scientist and an even crueler husband.”_  
_I slightly leaned back, looking at her clearly confused. She laughed bitterly at my lack of understanding._  
_“He has achieved so much during the last years – I’ve lost all that and way more, and what’s left leaves me with deep discontent.”_  
_I tried to find any words, but came up with nothing._  
_“Can I see that?” she suddenly asked, pointing at my gun._  
_“I’m not sure.”_  
_“Please?” There was a sweet smile on her lips, so I handed it to her – it’s not my responsibility to control what my children do, they have their own minds. With a nod, she left._  
_I watched her exiting through the garden, the gun clutched in her hand, the knuckles white. My eyes followed her retreating form. When she rounded the corner of her home, I lost sight of her and my gaze was drawn to the bushes. I had learned bushes could impede the gas, for it would get caught in the branches and leaves. Now, I watched them moving slowly in the wind. There was an exact amount of wind needed for using chlorine on the battlefield. Too much would make it inefficient, but too less would possibly harm my children. Killing was its own branch of science, and Haber had mastered it._  
_My gaze settled on the chemist, standing on the patio in front of his home, talking with his guests, laughing and drinking. A young female clutched at his arm, deluging him with admiring glances. Haber celebrated._  
_From the backyard a loud shot was heard. Birds screamed, rising from the trees, a flight response. A second shot followed, then, there was silence. With a loudly beating heart I made my way through the bushes, rounding the corner of the house. Moments later, Clara’s little son ran past me, nearly shoving me. Panicking, he cowered next to the lifeless form of his mother._

  


`They stand there, frightened and confused. There had been clear instructions, but somehow, they don’t really make sense. Not completely. Finally, they turn on the pipes. First breath. Nothing comes out, confusion spreads. Now, the instructions are even more questioned. Second breath. No surprise, gases are usually not visible, at least not this one. Third breath. It smells distinctly like almond. Fourth breath. But in fact, a lot of humans don’t smell prussic acid at all. Fifth breath. The human body notices the lack of oxygen. Sixth breath. It quickens the respiratory rate. Seventh breath. They scream. Eight. Nine. The lung clenches. Tenth breath.  
There will be no eleventh.`

  


_I walked through the Russian camp after starting an offensive with Green Cross. We had waited until the chlorine lifted its deadly grip. Then, I slowly made my way over to them. The Russian soldiers were laying on the ground, coughing, sniffling, desperately trying to breathe, but unable to do so. They coughed up phlegm and blood and spat out bits of their own lung. Bending over, lying in the mud, clawing at their clothes, throats. I moved between them, my mask securely covering my face, nonetheless, my throat tightened._  
_Then, my eyes fell on a large man, mudd clotted in his light hair. Like all of the Russians, he was convulsing with pain, his face twisted and smeared with blood. The scarf he was wearing was mangled in the mud and suddenly, I recognized him. Russia._  
_Slowly, I sank to my knees next to him. He was not able to breathe, even less to speak, but I imagined I could see recognition in his eyes, too. I hesitated, then reached out to touch his shoulder and turned his body softly towards me. He did not withdraw – but I didn’t know whether he allowed me to touch him voluntarily or whether he was just too injured to move. I lifted his torso and head – chlorine still clung to the ground, accumulating in the uneven holes like some form of water that did not seep away. Instead it stayed, a faint green, deadly cloud._  
_From my bag I dragged a spare gas mask and pressed it to Russia’s face, feeling him relaxing in my arms. His breath was still ragged, but at least now came repetitively, even if shallow. Breathing clearly pained him and I knew nothing would change that – significant parts of his lung probably were already destroyed by the chlorine. The mask was a small, meaningless sign of mercy. In this insanity of war I watched him as his chest – finally – stopped to convulse and stilled and silence replaced all the sounds in the camp._  
_I lowered Russia’s lifeless body to the ground. I knew he would wake up again – after all, the attack wasn’t serious enough to kill a nation permanently. Leaving him here, so his men would find him seemed like the best course of action. I rose, but hesitated to leave. The acid that still covered the ground swiveled from the movement. I could see the chlorine had started to redden Russia’s skin, greedily covering the exposed skin, burning its way through the flesh. I knew that waking up after death was not a pleasant experience – I’ve trained that with my brother, though – but waking up to burned skin and a completely destroyed lung seemed even worse. I tore myself away from the scene, turned around and stepped over the motionless bodies of the Russian men._

  


`I stand in the gas chamber, surveying the bodies of naked men, women and children. There was no sound, except of the rattling of the aeration, eerily drumming in my ears. I remember Clara shooting herself in her own backyard and suddenly am glad that she, as a Jewish chemist, was not forced to see – or experience – what her husband’s research ultimately had led to.`

  


I put the folder down. There was no use in contemplating over the words of the document any longer. I had agreed not just to sign the convention, but to equip my laboratories to control whether the convention was maintained and I would train my soldiers for missions in operational areas where the Chemical Weapons Convention was probably breached. I needed to make sure that chemical weapons would never be used again. There was no greater good that justified using gas, there was no humane way to kill people.  
I sighed and signed the treaty. 

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:  
> Giftgas – poisonous gas  
> Zyklon B – Cyclone B  
> Blausäure – prussic acid (literally "blue acid")
> 
> Historic references:  
> The situation in the gas chambers were not portrayed historically correct in a couple of points. One point: I didn’t want to write a five to fifteen minute death fight. In theory, ten breaths kill a human if the dose is high enough. The thing is Ludwig doesn’t think about it in a historically correct way while experiencing it; the description is supposed to be scientifically correct, because that’s his mindset here. Therefore, he is not a reliable narrator (except if you want to know how prussic acid works chemically, then he is indeed reliable).
> 
> In general, I think Germany is quite a scientist or engineer in his mind because while growing up between 1849 and the WWII he was leading in a couple of fields, including chemistry and engineering. (Like inventing the car twice and stuff like this). Chemistry is a field where you clearly see that he excelled during this time because chemical reactions are often named after their inventor and that’s the case for most of the “older” and essential chemical reactions. That changed after WWII to Anglo-Saxon names for newly invented reactions and in modern times to Japanese researchers.
> 
> Haber actually won the Nobel Prize in 1918 because he “pulled bread from the air,” meaning he invented synthetic liquid fertilizer. Without his invention humanity would starve to death in modern times.
> 
> Clara Haber was against her husband’s work. She was the first woman in Germany to be awarded a doctorate in chemistry, so she was indeed a strong and clever chemist herself. But her husband rather wanted her to be a housewife and actually brought his lover to the party, thus her suicide was more complex than just her husband’s work.
> 
> The part with Russia was inspired by Otto Hahn, a German chemist who experienced the use of chlorine at the eastern front. He wrote about it in his autobiography. He was important in the field of radio-chemistry and was named for the Peace Nobel Prize a couple of times, and he received a Nobel Prize in 1945 (in chemistry).


End file.
